WRITING PROMPT
In this exchange: Character A and Character B - best friends, character A is male. Character B - your choice. Character C is A's partner/spouse; they are mentioned but not present.
A sitting alone at a table, visibly distraught, unaware B has entered the room. After a few minutes, B speaks.
B: "Hey, buddy. What's going on? You look like the world just came to an end."
A shocked, grimaces. "Well... in some ways, it has."
B: "Come on! It can't be that bad. Talk to me."
A: "It looks like I'm going to be a father."
B: (Stunned) "Really? Oh my God! I did not see that coming."
A: "You're not the only one."
B: "OK, I know it's a shock. And this obviously wasn't planned, but it's not the worst thing that could happen. I mean, I have my doubts about you as a parent (jokingly), but you've got C! C is going to ace this parenting thing! They'll knock it out of the park! Speaking of C, how are they? Handling the news better than you?"
A: "C doesn't know yet... C isn't pregnant."
_____
This came to me as I was bored in a meeting lol
I don't want to write it for my characters - I've got enough going on for them. But I'd love to see someone run with this. (Yeah, it has Ethan/Tobias vibes all over it - but it could be anyone.)
If you use it, please tag me so I can read it. :)
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Hey! If you’re still taking requests, could I ask for soft-dark prompt #12 “Simply killing them will never be enough. Not after the way they hurt you…” I was thinking it would be a good fit for a Hurt/Comfort fic with John Seed x Reader (established relationship?) Thank you! :)
Ahhhh, I'm so sorry for taking so long to get to this, Anon!! And yes! If anyone ever wants to request anything from that list, then I can still do them. Just bear with my slow self, please 😅
Also, ngl this prompt got really personal… so apologies for that. Regardless of my heavy projecting, I hope it’s okay all the same, Anon 😬
12. “Simply killing them will never be enough. Not after the way they hurt you…”
- - -
Sometimes you wished John wasn’t such an attentive partner.
You thought you had been doing so well at hiding it. So good at keeping the shattering pieces of yourself hidden under the rug and away from the keen eyes of your partner. Making sure that the moment more cracks formed and more pieces splintered off that you were either hidden away or John was out of the house.
You felt bad enough when he took time away from his responsibilities with the Project (dubious as they were) to tend to you, no matter the occasion or issue. You didn’t want him getting into any trouble with his brother just because you were struggling.
Just because you couldn’t– can’t handle the sting, the absolute agony of that proverbial knife buried to the hilt within your abdomen. Twisted and jammed and unwilling to be pulled out, leaving you hunched and crippled and barely able to stand.
You didn’t want to think about it. Didn’t want to keep replaying the whole thing over and over again. Didn’t want to keep torturing yourself over every word and intonation and how it could have gone differently.
You didn’t want to keep thinking about how their betrayal was somehow your fault.
You didn’t want to think about how little they truly cared about you. How little over two decades of friendship meant to them, how quick and merciless they were to throw it all away; especially when it meant everything to you.
How could they? After everything that had happened in those many years of friendship– all those low points shared, all those misadventures laughed about, all that trauma shouldered, all that love and care and time invested in one another, in your families and your lives…
How could they?
…
What did you do wrong?
Why did it always feel like you gave your all only to get nothing in return? And you know it shouldn’t be about what you can get in return – friendships aren’t about being tit-for-tat; you thought they were about respect. About mutual platonic love and care.
You were supposed to be chosen family.
For them to treat you the way they have, to use you the way they have…
Without remorse, without an apology, without an explanation…
Well… you guess it shows how much they think of you.
It was just unfortunate that John had come home early while your thoughts were spiralling, curled up in a blanket on the couch, head buried in the back of it as you quietly sobbed and once more found yourself suffocated by the paralysing feeling of loneliness. The abandonment caused by someone you considered family wrecking you.
Along with the invasive thought that, without your John, you really would have no one.
And it was that horrifying realisation that caused your shame at someone seeing you cry, no matter how raw and open you could be with that person, to lay low. To silent itself as you sobbed over the worries and anxieties that tore you down at the loss of a friendship that once meant so much to you. Regardless of how much it apparently meant to them.
John wasted no time in coming to your side the moment he saw you and the state you were in, taking a seat beside you on the couch before gently bundling you into his lap. Wide oceanic eyes frantically scouring over your huddled form as if searching for even the slightest scratch to your person.
But even with his soft words, tinged with accents of panic and poorly veiled rage at whatever had you so distressed, you couldn’t get the words out. Could barely control your breathing as the weight of everything appeared to just suddenly collapse on top of you in your moment of absolute weakness.
It’s only now, after the warm light of the afternoon has faded into the cool gloom of the evening, that you’ve managed to exhaust yourself enough to talk to him. Cuddled into John’s chest, face tucked into his neck and body securely sandwiched between him and the back of the couch, you tell him everything. Try not to miss a word or forget the smallest detail as you divulge the whole tale to him and how deeply it’s wounded you.
In some ways you're now glad that John never got the chance to meet your supposed best friend, dates and times never quite meeting up.
… Although at this point you are nearly convinced they just didn’t care enough to meet him in the first place.
In the lull between your shaky retelling and John’s soothing words of love and affirmation, the gentle caress of his fingers and lips against your skin, you begin to catch his fleeting murmurs of retribution. Of dark declarations and the sure promise of God’s righteous judgement. A judgement already signed and sealed by his most devout baptist.
“They don’t deserve you. They never have, or ever will. You’re far too good for them, sweetheart. You’re too good for me; but at least I know that. At least I know just how beautiful and remarkable of a person you really are, and I thank God everyday that you chose me. That you love me… it’s more than I ever thought I deserved.
“… You saved me. You are my salvation. And I will spend the rest of my life knelt at your altar. There is nowhere else I would rather be…
“That sinner will never know how blessed they were to have you in their life. I would kill to have so many years spent with you. To have you dedicate so much of yourself to me, as unworthy as I am of the privilege, would be… it would be all I’ve ever wanted. Oh, if I could have those years…
“Justice… atonement… it’s my job to weigh the souls of all who come to us at the Project. To measure their sins… to cleanse them until they are worthy of the paradise we have been promised.
“… but They will never be worthy. No matter what they confess to, no matter how many times they will confess to it, no matter how many times I have to pull it from Them, it will never be enough… There is no saving someone that doesn’t want to be saved, despite what Joseph thinks…
“Even simply killing them will never be enough. They don’t deserve such mercy. Not after what they have done to you. Not after the way they hurt you…”
He whispers it all in flittering tones against you, almost conspiratorial in how hushed his voice is as his fingers dance absent lines across your skin, opposite hand buried in your hair to hold you tight and hidden against him.
You don’t think he knows that you’re listening to him. Seemingly continuing to mutter to himself and running along with wherever his train of thought leads him, going quiet as he gets too lost and distracted by them.
Truly, you also can’t help but get lost in thought while listening to him: guiltily imagining the eerie glow of that red room in his bunker, how it paints violent lines across the dirty walls and John’s tools.
How it would cut similar lines across your old friend’s face.
The potential fear and horror that would mar their features, the helplessness that would fester in their breast when they realised just where they were and who had taken them, just whose hands their fate now belonged in. Trapped and pinned like a poor moth at the scale-covered hands of a cruel lepidopterist.
God, you can only imagine John's expression…
Whimpering you physically turn away from the vindictive scenarios your mind is desperately racing to conjure up, hiding yourself further in John’s chest and trying to think of other things. Like if what they did is something that you can reasonably forgive; if this over two-decades-old friendship is worth fighting for; if your self-worth is low enough that you can pick up the pieces and act like the hurt and disrespect and mental deterioration you have suffered at their hands is something you can overlook.
…
Your self-esteem may be low, but even you know that you deserve better than that. Far better than how they have treated you.
… But can you really throw all those years away?
Each thought ping-pongs off the other, a constant back and forth that starts to wear at you the longer you hear them ricocheting. But with John’s soothing voice in your ear, his comforting warmth surrounding you and the hypnotising patterns and lines he draws across your skin, you quickly find the noisy sound of your thoughts fading. Gradually slipping into an exhausted daze that leaves them muffled.
But still, some thoughts resound louder than others.
And they are outraged and indignant, aggressive and downright vitriolic. Encouraged by John’s whispers, they conjure those vile scenarios in abundance and demand retribution of their own, grab at the metaphorical throats of all your other submissive thoughts and shames them into heeling.
They spit and beg in equal measure for you to allow the one person who would be willing to do anything for your happiness to do this for you. To allow these nasty imaginings to become a reality. To allow John to enact whatever punishment he deems fit in defence of you and your honour; in his wholehearted bid to protect you.
You are weak and unintimidating. Delicate as a petal in your soft and subdued nature; fragile at the whims of your gentle and empathetic heart.
Ultimately, you are powerless.
But John isn’t.
You have seen firsthand the type of power he wields, and although you have never approved of his work and the means in which he conducts it you do acknowledge it. You acknowledge that it also grants you a level of power you are not familiar nor comfortable with, by proxy.
A power and influence that your wounded thoughts are desperate for you to take advantage of.
He loves you.
He wants to protect you.
He would do anything for you.
Let him.
…
It is shameful how long you entertain the thought.
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Christmas/Winter Writing Prompts 2022
One Word Prompts
Snow
Lights
Scarf
Snowman
Snowball
Tree
Decorations
Sweater
Bells
Star
Carols
Gloves
Boots
Blanket
Fireplace
Cocoa
Glitter
Dinner
Situations/AUs
I’m recruiting you to help me terrorize your friend because they pelted me with snowballs at the park the other day
We’re in a meeting that I should be paying attention to, but I’m making paper snowflakes instead and you glare at me every time you hear my scissors
I’m trying to buy a last minute gift for a friend, but they’re impossible to shop for, so your little shop is my last hope
I’m shopping for Christmas decorations with my friend, but neither of us can reach the top shelf, so they asked you for help and now I’m nervous because you’re really cute
I was in the middle of a nice dream, but your screaming over the first snow woke me up and now I’m grumpy
I read our kid a book about the things snowmen do at night and now we’re taking a walk at two in the morning to show them the actual snowmen don’t do anything
I brought you hot chocolate without asking and you seem really flustered by it because you didn’t think I’d remember that you like hot chocolate a lot
I moved in next door a few months ago and had no idea how enthusiastic you are about Christmas, but I mentioned I hadn’t decorated, so now you’re knocking on my door with a box full of decorations and are begging me to let you decorate
My family is picking out a tree, but I’m cold so I’m just waiting by the warm doors and you came to stand next to me because you have no desire to hear your siblings argue over the right tree to buy
I work at the local library and I’m trying to put up all the decorations myself, but I fell off the ladder trying to hang up the garland and you caught me
You hate heights, but your friend convinced you to go skiing for the first time and now the ski lift is broken and you’re kind of freaking out, so it’s my job to comfort you
You’re painfully bad at wrapping presents, so I’m going to teach you or just end up wrapping them all myself because you really are terrible at this
This is an ugly sweater party and I was so ready to make fun of you, but you even make that reindeer sweater that plays a carol I hate look cute, so what am I supposed to do now
I shoveled your driveway for you since I was out anyway, then you brought me cookies to thank me and now we’re in some sort of passive aggressive contest of niceness
We’re snowed in at a little airport and we both just want to be alone, so we decide to sit together to keep everyone else away because there are some very determined carolers wandering around and employees who keep trying to check on us
We go to the same college and are trying to get home for the holiday break, but our flights got canceled so we’re road tripping it together; when we finally get there, we realize that the friend you’re visiting is actually my sibling who was plotting to set us up, but their work is already done now
I was signed up to bring brownies to the Christmas party for my office, but I’ve never been a good baker, so you came over and are trying to teach me how
I’ve been making you the same drink at least three times a week for nearly a year despite my efforts to recommend something new, but you ordered something completely different today and now I’m worried about you
My best friend put up mistletoe in every doorway in our apartment, and now they keep ducking back so I get stuck there with you
You’ve been watching cheesy Christmas movies for weeks now, but I had no idea, so I was pleasantly surprised when you caught me watching one and immediately sat down to join me
Dialogue Prompts
“Don’t forget your gloves!”
“Merry Christmas!” “It’s November.” “I said. Merry. Christmas.”
“I can never have enough Christmas decorations.”
“You’re wearing this sweater and you’ll like it.”
“I need more lights.”
“All I want for Christmas is you.” “Don’t quote Mariah Carey at me.”
“I feel like I’m in a Hallmark. Where’s my generic white guy love interest?”
“I don’t really care about Christmas, but you do, so just come to this Christmas party with me please.”
“Do you need some help with those lights?” “No, I don’t. Stop asking me that.”
“If you don’t stop singing, I will walk straight out into the blizzard.”
“You say mistletoe, I say mistlefoe. If you can beat me in hand to hand combat, then we can kiss.”
“You know, I don’t trust you when you say to come outside with your hands behind you like that. If you’re about to throw snow at me, I’m about to lock you outside for the night.”
“Please open the door. It’s cold out here.”
“Deck the halls with boughs of holly-” “I’ll deck your face with my fist if you don’t get out of my apartment.”
“Pass me the aux cord.” “Not if you’re about to play more carols. I can’t hear any more renditions of Sleigh Ride this week.”
“Why is ___ sitting in the corner?” “They got paint all over me when we were making decorations, so they’re in time out.”
“If you hit me with that wrapping paper tube, I’ll be forced to retaliate.”
“There’s no way that tree is fitting in here.” “Oh, I’ll make it fit.”
“I think you have a problem.” “I wouldn’t call making stuffed gnomes for nineteen hours straight a problem.”
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